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Hi. We are a design/style LA based company specializing in mixing eclectic styles on moderate budgets. Also we have a strange amount of fun blogging about all our design and style adventures. Right now I’m happy to say that I’m Target’s home spokesperson, bringing accessible/stylish design to the masses.

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Buying a lot of small knick knacks is like ordering a lot of small appetizers at a restaurant in lieu of an entree = it seems easier and cheaper, but ultimately you end up spending more and walk away less satisfied. I love tiny accessories, as you know. Like super tiny. I even once framed some handmade dollhouse fly swatters – which were each only 1 inch high. But if you ONLY have small things on your shelves they lose their individual aesthetic value and your whole space can look VERY cluttered.

You know these people:

These shelves mainly have books, then tiny pieces of stuff. What they are lacking are larger accessories to help contrast the smaller pieces and anchor everything. These could be larger frames, stacks of larger books. large vessels, art leaning against the back, etc.

These larger items give the eye some visual landmarks to rest for a moment so that you don’t get too overwhelmed. They also help to distinguish between your collections so that it all doesn’t just mesh together like a big cluttered mess. A little more order, a little less hoarder.

We have covered the process many times here on the blog on how best to style out your bookcase, and the proof is in the many different versions of my bookcase that you may have seen. Although the contents of the shelves are constantly changing for different blog posts or shoots the formula and process of how to style it out stays the same (in case you missed our most recent post on how to style out your shelves, you can check that out to help you through the process), and is quite simple when you boil it down.

You start with your larger books, then add in your art and larger objects, and last you style and accessorize with your other smaller items. The mix of large and small will fill out the shelves well, and help the whole space to feel a bit less cluttered and a bit more pulled together. In case you need a few more shelves to inspire you, scroll on through to some of our favorites from recent past projects. Now get out there and have fun with it, your shelves will thank you.

Shelves are so tough for me. I live in a 2-bedroom, 1400-square foot condo with a fairly open-ish floor plan. I’ve built up everywhere that I could, but every inch of my shelving has to be functional. I spend a small fortune on kolo scrapbooks and blurb photo books, so the stuff that I’m storing isn’t super ugly, but it is bulky and just doesn’t leave a lot of room for knickknacks. My place goes from zero to clutter with even one vase, so it’s tough to curate items to complement the items I’m storing.

Yes! I’d love to see some bookshelf styling that’s a little more functional for those of us who need our shelves to mainly hold books. All the shelves in this post are styled beautifully, but the ratio of books:accessories is very different from what I need in a 600sq ft 1 bedroom.

If the whole case is full of books, you can just stack some horizontally to break it up. Or, embrace the books-only situation and decorate the space around the bookcase. Cocoon it with art and objects on the walls, a stool or chair and lamp…soon the various colors and shapes of your books will blend in with their surroundings and you won’t sacrifice any library space.

Yes. We just bought a house and had 2 beautiful built ins made for each end of our living room. They Are gorgeous but we have a zillion books. I’m trying hard to break it up but my husband is on the verge of lining up crazy old man objects in front of packed shelves. Not cool.

This one made me cringe a bit…I have too many small brass things, and it drives me mad. I think it’s because I get carried away with things that are ‘so cuuute’ because they are miniature, then I get it home and put it next to the other ‘cuute’ things I have. Next thing you know, I look like a hoarder. I’m hoping that reading this again and again will help!

This is probably my Achilles’ Heel too. I had so many little things from my travels that were getting lost on the shelves. So I ended up with a couple wall mounted curio boxes and that really did the trick.

These are lovely! I have two big bookcases full of books that I love and need to style around. I don’t want to cover them or turn them around so you can’t see the spines, or organize them by color. They’re not all hardbound either, so, of course, there is all of this randomly ordered color that makes it difficult to work around.

Paperback novels look less “cheap” if they are grouped together in shelves that are scaled for their height. So if your shelves are adjustable, you can try moving them so that the small books are together in a smaller vertical space than your bigger books. Same principle as a smaller space for small collectibles.

Paperback books of bigger sizes can be less conspicuous if sandwiched between hardbacks so only the spine shows…or just group only paperbacks together and it doesn’t stand out…then have spots of only hardbacks…

I think I’ve organized my hard and soft-bound books pretty effectively already: some standing, some stacked, etc. And my shelves were literally purchased from a large bookstore chain that went out of business, so fit the books well. They are also now white and bright with moldings above and below. In looking again at the pics above, though, I think I just need to re-align so I have more white, spaces throughout and then use that space for a few larger objects or some larger objects with maybe one or two small objects in a group.

The book is in my amazon basket as we speak! So excited to get it. It’ll be my reading material on my upcoming vacation.

One thing I’ve noticed in Blogland (Hendersonville included) is that almost of these examples of how-to-style-your-bookcase show primarily white, shallow bookcases. They’re bright and things just pop right off them.

I have such a hard time with my shelves! The shelves I have flank either side of my fireplace and are custom built. Which sounds great but they line up with the depth of the fireplace which puts them at 4 inches deep. It’s a challenge for sure! I have a hard time finding things that are large enough to anchor the space. Any ideas?

Ugh, my shelf styling leaves a lot to be desired. Definitely guilty of throwing a few small items up and calling it a day. Love this post and your advice here… guess it’s time to get back to the drawing board with my shelves!

I have three Billy tall bookshelves in my dining room area. I have a lot of books as well as interesting objets and stuff, but I feel like I’m not at the sweet spot yet. Some shelves are not at the same height all the way across–I’m open to asymmetry but it seems like in this case it’s not pleasing to the eye. I agree about the comment if the shelves are painted white, thinks on them pop more. This part of the room is kinda dim and the birch color doesn’t do anything any favors.

There is **a lot** of negative space in the “good” examples pictured, and in all of those (except Oh Joy’s, which to my eye is messy, decidedly unpretty, yet clearly the most functional and utilized of the bunch) the backdrop is a very pale neutral. The “bad” examples you / your staff have chosen all have darker, patterned backgrounds (woodgrain).

These “bad” examples also have not been professionally lit / photographed ….. I’d like every single thing in my life, including my face and my ass, to be professionally lit and photographed.

I agree too! My books, even if they aren’t the most expensive or elegant, are some of my most prized possessions. They are “me” and I can’t let them go but I sure would like the shelves to be more aesthetically pleasing. And also – find a way to balance all of that color around and on the other side of the room.

Oh, goodness! Now I understand why my bookshelves look “blech” even though I mess with them constantly! Thank you, and I’m perplexed that this never dawned on me before. Ha! Time for a trip to Home Goods and West Elm! XOXO

Hm. Too Many Little Things IS a common design problem – but I don’t think that’s really the main problem with the example photos you included. The thing is, a lot of people have bookshelves that DO look like those photos – show them how to fix THOSE! You’re so good at explaining basic design concepts (color continuity, proportion, negative space, visual lines, etc)… I’m surprised you didn’t explain more. Marianne’s suggestion to write a post showing how to edit bad shelves was great. It would be really helpful if you could minimize variables by using someone’s ordinary mediocre wood bookshelves and ordinary mediocre tchotkes and framed family photos to really demonstrate the concepts – people shouldn’t have to go out and buy all new books, artwork, and pottery to get well-styled shelves (and they won’t. And if they do, they’ll be disappointed that “cool stuff” doesn’t automatically = beautiful shelves.) OR, style your own shelves badly, with “too many little things”, and then fix them, keeping the lighting and other variables the same, so people can really see what you’re talking about. Of course that kind of post takes a little more time, and you DO have a newborn and a toddler, and this IS free content… ;). But in case you need blog fodder for the future. I’d read it.

I recently did the Kondo tidy of my books and the results are pretty amazing. For a long time I never thought I’d be able to part with my books, but once I got over the psychological barriers to discarding, it opened up lots of space for pretty objects and my shelves are much more fun to style now. http://abodenly.com/2015/04/11/tidying-up-books/

I have taken tons of cues from your shelving style and love your style in general. But you seldom have all that many books – your shelves are art more than practical storage. Have you considered a series where you advise a non-employee or -client on styling their shelves with things they own? Tell them to move things around, try to find something bigger, wider, whatever that they own to help the process? I think that could be a fun exercise or even series… And yes, I’d volunteer… But would be fine if you do it without me too! 🙂

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Hello!

Emily is a stylist, author and T.V. host with a strong commitment to vintage inspired approachable home style for every single person. Perfection is boring; Let’s get weird. learn more

Interior Design Blog by Emily Henderson

I started this interior design blog in 2010 as a journal of my style and home projects with the belief that design should be approachable, informational and accessible no matter what budget.

As a home style expert who has a strong commitment to peeling back the intimidating layers of the world of home decor, and showing how every person can have a beautiful home that represents their personality, no matter what the budget.

After styling for magazines and catalogues for years, I started my own interior design blog, won HGTV Design Star, and have gone on to host my own hit TV show Secrets from a Stylist, Author the book STYLED, and create the design firm Emily Henderson Design.

My motto has always been to write and publish on my blog what I personally want to read about.

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